


Grow A Heart, Boy.

by Vest



Category: The Grinch (2018)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Frenemies, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, and will continue a little after that, kind of cannon to the movie, like reallllyyy slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-09-17 08:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16971000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vest/pseuds/Vest
Summary: This isn't satire. I can't believe it either.You move into a town called Whoville in their busiest months of the year. While everyone has been sweet and heartwarming towards you, there's one that stands out. Physically and emotionally. He doesn't like you and you feel indifferent.You grew up in the city. You're not gonna let him push you down.





	1. Chapter 1

“Um, hi!” you called, trying to call attention to your short neighbor. He was too busy being invested with decorating his house with so much vigor that he didn’t even hear you.

You treaded carefully through the thick, pillowy snow in hopes to get closer. Loud hammering and other ranges of quirky construction sounds were making it harder to gain any contact.  
Now being only a few feet away from his front door, you tried again.

“Hello??” You shouted slightly louder, scanning around the front of the house for any sign of movement.

The sound of jingles and sawing stopped at once and the head a round, bearded man popped into view from the roof.  
“Oh, hey there!” he grinned with interest, eagerly hopping down his ladder to introduce himself. He gave out his hand and shook it lively. “Sorry, I was finishing the final touches up there. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before! Call me Bricklebaum.”

You smiled, feeling less nervous in his friendly efforts. “Hi, I’m (Y/N), and yeah I just moved in next door last night.”  
After you pointed at your almost identical-shaped house that was several of feet to the right of his, you slowly changed the subject.  
“So… I like your decorations.”

The man lit up with delight and nodded. “Well, it’s the best that I can give! The mayor wants this year to be 3 times BIGGER than the year before!” He pulled a folded sheet out of his pocket and gave it to you. It said: “CHRISTMAS WILL BE 3 TIMES BIGGER!” In giant holiday themed fonts.

“We take holidays here very seriously.” He winked, causing your lips to curve upwards again at his charming attitude.

You offered the paper back, “I don’t think I’m as prepared for this as you are right now…” you gave a bashful chuckle as you eyed the impressive festivities that were covering his house. Your decorations weren’t set up yet since you recently moved in. And even if they were set up, they were as simple as hanging a wreath on your door and some Christmas window stickers. Not to mention that it was still November.

He gestured for you to keep it and remained his beaming positivity. “Don’t worry about it! I’m sure that you’ll be able to find at least something good around this town! If not, I can help you find more if you want.”

Him insisting to help made it hard to feel bad for yourself. “Really? That’d be so nice! Thank you so much!”

 Bricklebaum nodded, happy to receive good feedback as well, “Hey, it’s no problem! Tis’ the Season!”  
He then leaned in slightly closer with his tone calmly emphasizing an obvious issue. “I’m just about done with my decorations. Do you want to see them light up in action?”

Your eyebrows raise on their own as you felt a hint of your own youthful curiosity raise. “Yea, sure!”

He practically pulled you, skipping to an elevated wooden platform with a box. In the center of the box there was a small red switch.  
“Now, feast your eyes, to my GREATEST Christmas achievement yet!” He exclaimed with vigor, pressing the switch quicker than what he wanted.

Both of your eyes trail from the button to the lit decorations that were spreading from the left of the house. The long line of lights brightly lit up with patterns of yellows, reds, greens, and blues decorating every rim and archway.

‘This is like being in a movie’ you thought to yourself as the overwhelming amount of festivities magically came to life, being followed by a procession of beloved Christmas icons inflating themselves 15 feet higher than what they were before.

Before you could even say anything, you watched as the last decoration to be inflated smacked a nearby thing with its giant snowman gloves. The… thing... was a green person. He hurdled into the thick snow with his cans and other things scattering around. The small dog that was with him was now patiently on the side, waiting for his master to make a move. The thing raised its head from the snow, looking clearly annoyed with what he had to deal with.

Bricklebaum hurriedly scattered to the person and apologised profusely. You couldn’t help following him not only because of genuine concern for the “victim’s” wellbeing, but also a curiosity of never seeing a green man before.

“Oh my gosh, Grinch I’m SO sorry! I didn’t see you there! Here, lemme help.”  
In his flurry of apologies, he immediately tried to pick up the dropped cans to make up for his guilt. You pick up a can of beans that was next to your feet, but still remained stationed from the awkwardness that was growing within you.

Grinch stood up on his own and held to a bottle of dishwasher soap close to himself, clearly not so happy to see Bricklebaum. Or anyone for that matter.  
“You know what, if you wanna apologize for something, apologize for THAT.” He pointed at Bricklebaum’s house, which was glowing brighter than the daylight. “My eyes are burning…” He murmured under this breath.

Looking at it now, he did have a point. It was indulgently cheesy and bright with its giant animated signs and its live sized diorama of santa climbing in the chimney. But it never bothered you. Christmas has always been cheesy and bright growing up. You’ve seen big Christmas decorations before in the city that you were from. Some people just really loved celebrating the holidays, there was never any harm in that.

“Well don’t blame me, haven’t you heard? the mayor wants Christmas to be 3 times bigger than last year!” Bricklebaum pulled out another pamphlet from his pocket and offered his proof to the green man, who was picking some of his own groceries and tucking it under his arm. Grinch then took notice of you and stared coldly before starting to walk closer. You were frozen, too unsettled to do anything but stare. Still stabbing you with an icy stare, he roughly grabbed the can you were holding and turned away, satisfied with the imprint that he left on you.

In the midst, Bricklebaum was still enthusiastically talking, “...That means 3 times the lights, 3 times the eggnog, three times the-”

“Information. needed.” Grinch abruptly stopped him, going back to snatch the paper from his hand.

“Heh, that’s a good one.” Bricklebaum joked as he placed Grinch’s other supplies back on his wagon.

Grinch only scanned the paper for a few seconds. “Oh, I get it, this is one of your ‘kidding’ things right?” He laughed sarcastically. “Finally, something you said is ACTUALLY funny!”

Bricklebaum broke eye contact for a second, clearly trying to be taken seriously. He laughed nervously with him, “Heh, yeah I do kid a lot, but no this-”

Grinch continued to laugh condescendingly, casually brushing him off and walking back to where he originally was going. “Christmas 3 times bigger…” he joked between his laughs, “Oh god no, I’m not, yeah I can’t…”

As Bricklebaum struggled to continue the conversation, Grinch was already trailing away, finishing to Bricklebaum with a dying chuckle, “Sorry, I can’t hear you! I don’t speak ridiculous.” He said with a smile plastered on his face. His dog followed behind him, pulling the wagon full of groceries that was stationed on himself.  
“You’re a scream. Have a good life, goodbye.” He ended, not caring to look back.

Bricklebaum immediately accepted his defeat and replied back warmly regardless, “Alright then, see you later.”  
“That’s our neighbor, The Grinch,” He explained to you, “He lives up on that mountain, Mount Crumpit.” He pointed up at a very far distance to a tip of one of the mountains that were towering. Now knowing that the Grinch lived that far to avoid any contact from anyone only raised your uneasiness for the man.

“Now don’t take it too personally, he’s always been like that.” He assured, “He’s not that bad, actually! Heh, he could be worse.”  
You hummed in understanding, not knowing what else to say.  
He quickly changed the subject to avoid the atmosphere from getting any more sour, “Hey! Why don’t you come in my house and we can drink some of my special eggnog? The recipe is WAY better than last year!”

You didn’t really like eggnog, but you didn’t have the heart to turn down such a kind offer from your new neighbor.

“Sure, I’ll have some.”

\-----

For the first few days, Bricklebaum helped you organize your furniture and the rest of your boxes. You’ve both naturally got along, talking about your own childhoods and other funny stories. Like for instance, you learned that Bricklebaum grew up in Whoville in a lumberjack family. His favorite memory of his parents was when he cooked breakfast with his mom on a cold, winter day. You felt your own mouth water when he described the sizzle of thick bacon and eggs and the boiling of a pot of sweet porridge.

“Cooking breakfast made sounds and scents that were so strong that the smell could just feed you alone.” He hummed, making himself hungry too.

On one occasion, you told him a story of how you found a small shark tooth in a fish. As a kid, your parents would always get takeout for dinner. So one day, you ate a fortune cookie right before and had a ticket that said “Opportunities always come in unexpected times.” Halfway through dinner, your dad pointed something out from your plate. “Is that a fish bone? It sure looks like a shark tooth.”

 You needed to find a way to pay back his hospitality. ‘I could try to remake his kitchen memory…” you thought to yourself as you laid on your rug. Out of everything in your house, you loved the living room the most. The short-haired rug was soft and wide enough to fit your whole body above it. Your couch was little to never been used, basically making it living room decor.

You took out a small notebook and started to jot a list:

 

(November 12) THINGS THAT I NEED TO DO

\- Plan for Bricklebaum

-Find a job

 

Feeling unsatisfied that your list was short, you looked around to outbranch to other ideas.

 

-Furnish the house with more stuff so it doesn’t look dead

-Get a hobby

-Make more friends

 

You sighed, throwing the notebook and pen to the side. ‘I’ll do some of it tomorrow.’ you thought to yourself.

Sad that you had to leave your favorite rug, you went to the kitchen to make some hot milk before deciding to go to bed. As you boiled the milk in a small pot, you replayed the past days in your mind. Other than Bricklebaum introducing you to some of the “Whos” who lived in Whoville, you weren’t really close to anyone else. Sure, Brickleaum was nice, but it wasn’t your nature to only have one friend.  
Then you thought of the Grinch. You couldn’t care much about him, people like him DO exist no matter where you are after all. And even though he did seem mean-spirited, it didn’t look like he would bother anyone unless they bothered him first.

‘Wait, he had a dog too, didn’t he?’ You realized.

Oh no, poor dog… he must’ve been having a hard time living with that green guy. He was using that small dog to pull that wagon full of his groceries; that’s practically dog abuse, right? But the dog didn’t look abused. You hope that wasn’t happening.

‘Maybe if I see that dog again, I’ll give him a dog treat.’

Once your milk was boiling, you turned off the stove and poured it into a mug. With a jar of honey, you dipped a teaspoon in it and mixed it into the mug of hot milk. Once it cooled, you licked your lips and took a smooth gulpful and sighed deeply. The feeling of the warm, sweet drink running down your throat and into your stomach was like a hug. Maybe you really needed that. It was only a few days of being in Whoville and you already felt the bittersweetness of missing your old home.


	2. Chapter 2

“And now it’s time for ‘Today’s Weather,’ take it away Dave.” The radio buzzed. You were brushing your hair in front of your vanity mirror, fixated on the details of your face as you listened. “Thanks Carolyn. Now folks, before you go outside you better wear one more layer than usual. This will be our coldest day of the week, reaching down close to freezing temperatures.” Still staring at yourself in the mirror, you put your knitted hat and scarf while silently preparing yourself to face the harsh elements.

“It’s currently 23 Degrees Fahrenheit, but don’t worry, our highest will be 29 Degrees around noon, as if that matters...” You turned off the radio between the newscasters’ laughs and zipped up your coat. As soon as you opened your front door, a gush of cold energy hit your face and legs in contrast to the toastiness of your home. You mumbled an “oh god…” under your breath and continued forth refusing to listen to any second thoughts.

 Entering into the busier side of Whoville, you noticed that your layers were much thicker than the other towners. It made sense, they’ve lived here longer and were used to the types of weather nature could lash out. However, the attention was the least of your worries at the moment. And because of Bricklebaum, about everyone knew that you weren’t used to living it “Who-style.”

 Despite that, everyone was incredibly approachable. Or it was more like they approached you. The people who noticed you passing by would eagerly greet you with a “Happy Holidays!” or some other form of seasonal saying. There were Christmas activities always going on as well. People taking photos with giant santa statues, groups caroling on every corner, snow related contests for kids and families… it was happening everyday. Their overly cheerful attitudes and flamboyant methods of celebrating Christmas almost felt uncanny, but the happiness was so infectious that it did the opposite of unsettling for you.

 On your way to your destination, you saw a woman attempt to balance presents on a baby stroller next to her daughter, who was also pushing another stroller. The presents tumbled to the ground, making the woman sigh in desperation.

 “Here, let me help.” You offered as you picked up some of the presents for her.

 The woman smiled in relief, “Oh, thank you so much.” In little than a second she recognized you. “Hey, you’re (Y/N) right? The one that moved in?”

 You gave an awkward “yes,” once again overestimating the amount of privacy the small town had.

 The woman collected some of the presents she was holding and nodded to you instead.

 “Hi, I’m Donna Lou. These are my kids, Cindy Lou and my boys.”

 “It’s very nice to meet you.” Cindy Lou politely greeted.

 “Nice to meet you too, Cindy Lou.”

 Donna Lou then cutted in, still concentrated on her goal. “You can just give it back to me, thank you so much though.” she quickly offered, opening her arms a little bit wider for the other presents.

 Once you helped balanced the presents, you both exchanged goodbyes and went back to your own businesses.

 

\-----

 

While you went out of the grocery store, you took out your notebook and crossed out a note:

 - ~~Plan for Bricklebaum~~

 The notebook was then put away with the rest of your groceries as you walked through the busy sidewalks. You felt good! Finally planning to treat Bricklebaum made you feel like you were truly appreciating his help. 

Along the way home you noticed a familiar green figure ahead of you. It was the Grinch again with his dog was close behind, who was now holding a bulky scanning device in his mouth. The last time you saw the Grinch he was hit by a giant inflatable snowman. He probably might recognize you too, since you both had an intense stare-off earlier.

 “Um, hey again!” you nervously call out to him.

 Catching eyes with you, the Grinch rolled his own, not bothering to even stop or change his distant expression.

 Before he entirely passed you, you offered, “Wait, I have a treat for your dog!”

 The dog’s ears perked up and he stopped in his tracks to look at you, catching the word “treat.”

Grinch stopped a few seconds after he realized that his dog was no longer by his side. With his brows furrowing, he turned to see you scrambling through your shopping bag to pull out a small, bone shaped cracker. The dog’s eyes lit up in excitement, dropping the device onto the snow to pant and smile ecstatically.   

Before giving it away, you stopped yourself to check with the Grinch. He was doing his classic icy stare again. His scowl was almost daring you to do it.

“Can I give it to him?” You asked.

“No.” Grinch shot back coldly, “Whatever that thing is, he doesn’t want it. Right Max?”

Unfortunately, Max did want it. As soon as the Grinch finished, he jumped to snatch the treat out of your fingers, almost scaring you. You watched as he messily ate it and then returned to stare at you again in hopes that you had more for him.

You looked back at the Grinch. We was pissed.

“Looks like he did.” You said with a shit-eating grin. You probably weren’t as cool as you thought you looked with in your marshmallow shaped coat and cold rosy cheeks, but you did do some damage.

The Grinch was grimacing so hard you could see his teeth from his now stronger scowl.

You brought your eyes down at Max again with a sweet smile, “You know, if I see you again I’ll give you another, ok?”

Max bounced and barked at you, swayed by your generous words. You then left, saying goodbye to Max and Grinch, who was still giving you the same look. You turned back smiling, satisfied with the imprint that you’ve left on the both of them.

 

\-----

 

Almost in an instant, Max remembered you and what you had said. Sometimes he would catch you running an errand for yourself through town or about to enter your home. When he would run to you, the Grinch had no choice but to reluctantly follow him and wait, just for Max to get a simple stupid treat that he could’ve gotten from any market. 

One day, Max hadn’t seen you in town or anywhere for more than a few days. His wimpers caught the Grinch’s attention.

“She probably got bored and didn’t want to do it anymore.” He said, hoping that it was true.

Max pondered the idea and drooped his ears. It hurted Grinch to see Max sadden like that, but honestly, he really hated your guts.

At least with Bricklebaum and the other Whos they never retaliated. They always took the passive route and brushed it off, making it easier for him. But you weren’t like that. He knew that you took pleasure in having the last laugh whenever you saw him. He heard that you were a city girl. The reason why you moved here wasn’t so clear. He couldn’t find a good reason why you would move from a city to a tacky small town like his, but that didn’t matter. He wanted you out, and if you plan to stay in the long run, he’s going to do something about it.

In order to get home, he and Max had to pass between Bricklebaum and your house. He prayed that none of you would show up and see him, both scenarios which would probably end up with him being teased by you.

Max strolled to the front of your house and started to scratch the door and whimper. He still wanted his treat.

“No, Max! Stop it!” He sternly whispered, trying not to gain any attention.

Despite his pleas, Max’s whines grew into barks.

Grinch cringed, “Oh Max, god no!” His shoulders retracted into his body, knowing that he’s on the verge on getting caught.

Max continued to scratch and bark, getting louder within every second. His insistent behavior kept on going until the Grinch couldn’t take it anymore. He scrambled to Max, deciding to just pick up and run straight home. The thought of seeing you again fueled him to go faster.

Before he could get a hold of Max, you opened your door, making him abruptly halt in his tracks.

You were in glasses and loose clothing. You look like you haven’t left your bed all day, with your hair messily swayed on one side. Your eyes quickly met with the Grinch once again, who was looking at you both in regret and uncertainty. You blushed a little bit from him seeing you in your current state, so you shifted your eyes to the more visually pleasing dog. “Hey Max-”

Max sped into your house before you could even finish. You heard the Grinch shout “No, Max! Get outta there!” in the background as you turned to find Max tracking in clumps of snow, instantly melting into water.

You followed Max, trying to find towels or napkins to clean the mess.

‘You’d think that he would be trained to NOT do that..’ you thought irritated.

The Grinch immediately came in after, still determined to get the dog and leave. Instead, he found yourself frantically cleaning the wooden floor while Max was jumping on you and licking your cheeks at any chance he got. The Grinch couldn’t help but get a satisfaction out of seeing you awkwardly  trying shield yourself from Max’s affections.

“Can you please close the door?” You pleaded, clumping the wet paper towels together.

 “What door?” Grinch pretended. He watched smugly as you raised your eyebrows at him, doubting his fake innocence. You sighed in defeat and closed it on your own.

While you were invested in cleaning the mess again, the Grinch took the time look around your home from where he was standing. Now that he was inside, he was a little bit curious of how you lived. Understandably, it felt a little bit empty since you were only here for a week or so. But on average, you had old styled furniture and antique trinkets, with every room having their own eras dating from the past. It was nothing that he expected. He did see a few contemporary objects, but it didn’t change the fact that your house still looked like it belonged to a middle aged woman. He was so enveloped at this new information that he didn’t notice you until you scooted him on a doormat. His feet were drenching with water now, apparently.

“So, I’m guessing you want a treat, right Max?” You assumed, finally done with your chores.

Max barked earnestly, practically dancing in place.

You softly exhaled as you walked to the kitchen with him skipping behind you.

“Ok, it’s either you inherited all of this or you aren’t as young as you look.” Grinch teased, walking to the kitchen counter to lean on.

“That’s just the way I live-- Grinch, your feet.”

You glared at him, once again having to put up with his bullshit.

He shrugged, pushing his luck. He was feeling a more comfortable with his efforts when he realized that he had won all of the advantages.

You shot him a dirty look and ignored it dismissively, knowing that you couldn’t do anything else. You gave the irresistible cracker to Max, who was jumping patiently.

As you both watched Max gorged down on it, you told the Grinch, “You know, he really seems to like these Store Bought cookies,” with you emphasizing “Store Bought.”

“I know that, obviously.” Grinch retorted. He did buy them in hopes that Max would stop depending on you. He even bargained with him that he’ll buy as much as Max wanted, but for some reason he wanted it from YOU.

The Grinch wasn’t going to admit it though. He didn’t want to see your stupid smirk again, especially since he was gaining the upper hand. “He just likes to eat at any chance he gets.” He shared instead.

“He’s pretty insistent just for a bland cracker.” You interrogated, furrowing one eyebrow.

“You must’ve never had a dog before then.”

He was really good at being a smartass. You wondered if he ever lived in a city himself.

After a short awkward silence, the Grinch stood up from the counter. “Come on, Max. You got what you wanted.”

Max was once again panting, relieved that you didn’t get bored from giving him treats.

The Grinch walked to the front door with his soggy feet and opened it. “Now, what do you say to the old lady?”

Max pranced out through the door without looking back. You didn’t know why you were expecting him to bark “thank you” or something like that.

“Good boy.” Grinch added to spite you further. And as for his final chaotic move, he tipped over a nearby trash can, spilling all of its contents to the floor.

You stood silent. A lot of things happened at once, didn’t it? You couldn’t imagine that the Grinch would ever enter your house, but he did, and he made a self-indulgent mess which was what he would've wanted. You slowly soaked the scene again, admittedly bothered that he dirtied what that you just cleaned. It almost made you NOT want to clean it and get him to do it instead. But disappointingly, you knew that it wasn’t going to happen. You groaned, looking for more paper towels and a broom. But before that, you needed to wash your face.

 

\-----

 

When Max and the Grinch reached to their cave, Grinch turned to his dog, very fixated with an issue.  “Max, you got some explaining to do.” He sternly scolded. 

Max sat, knowing what he was in trouble for. He guiltily looked down on the floor and whined, as if to say that he wanted to see you since it had been a while.

The Grinch rolled his eyes and sighed, unable to stay angry at him. “You know that she’s my enemy. Going into her home is basically treason."

“Furthermore,” he continued while pacing on the floor, “I entered her house. In Enemy Territory. That was Dangerous. We were lucky that she wasn’t waiting on hand, ready to attack me with her… stupid remarks.” He thought about the dorky clothes you were wearing. It was drastically different than the semi-professional, artsy winter clothes he would see you in. Seeing you in a baggy long shirt and leggings made him realize that you were much more petite than he thought.

Max barked. The Grinch guessed that he was saying, “She’s not that bad as you think. She gives me treats.”

“That’s a TACTIC to get to me,” Grinch argued, “To soften you up. And then, when she gets the chance,…” He suddenly clasped his hands together in Max’s face, surprising him in the process. “...She’ll crush me. Metaphorically.”

Max gave another response with a mixture of whines and barks. It was along the lines of, “That’s because you treat her unfairly. If she’s using me to get to know you better, then so be it.”

The Grinch scoffed. “I don’t believe it… my own FRIEND is siding against me with a GIRL he just met!”

Max shared his thoughts with cynical eyes. It meant, “You mean your ONLY friend.”

What a cheap move, attacking his social life like that. “I like being alone. I like being mean. End of story. When are you going to accept that?” Grinch challenged.

Max rolled his eyes, yawned loudly, and walked away. It was his way of saying. “We both know you’re lying.”

The Grinch wanted to fight back, but he knew it wouldn’t be worth it. Max was just as stubborn as he was, but unfortunately for the right reasons.

“Oh, forget it. I didn’t adopt you to be psychoanalyzed.” he dismissed, shooing Max away with a hand. But Max was already gone.  Angry that he lost another argument, the Grinch went to the library to find something to do that’ll take his mind off his existential choices.


	3. The Biggest Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been months! Sorry for the really long hiatus, college has just been really busy with essays and schoolwork so I don't have enough time to do my hobbies and things like that. I'll try to finish the next chapter cuz I already have so many things planned out lol, its just the extra juicy parts that are hard to come up with

“Good Morning, Whos of Whoville! It’s now the month that we’ve been waiting for… That’s right, it’s December 1st!”

 Awoken from the radio alarm, you let out a raspy groan. It was 8:00 am, a time that you’ve always done since college. Luckily, you also always stayed an extra 10 minutes after the alarm has played. You snuggled tighter into your bedsheets and let the newscasters take turns to keep you company.

 “And as it is Whoville tradition, we choose a beautiful, HUGE tree in the forest and decorate it with the beautiful, HUGE ornaments that we’ve made weeks ago!” The female one exclaimed.

 ‘A giant tree?’ You thought, wondering what they considered “giant.”

 “Now folks, remember that before your ornaments can be placed in the tree, they must follow the mandatory requirements:” The man reminded, “A few important rules include that they must be made of lightweight material, not weigh more than 17 pounds, must be family-friendly themed, and cannot be any bigger than 5 feet. For more information, you go to city hall or look at the website at…”

 ‘5 feet ornaments… that’s a big ass tree…’

 In that moment, your room darkened. Even when your eyes where closed you could notice the sudden shift. Whoville’s natural light is so cheerfully bright that you barely needed to turn on any lights for the majority of the day.

 You cautiously moved out of bed with glasses on to look at what was happening through your window. You felt your eyes widen and small goosebumps pricked your spine as you saw a skyscraper-sized Conifer nonchalantly floating above your house. It’s shadow stretched for maybe a whole acre or so, making you anxious at the possibly of the tree dropping on you at any chance.

 “It seems like our ‘Tree Radar’ is telling us something!” The radio cheered, “Yes, turns out that our beautiful, HUGE tree is only a few miles away from Whoville! This year’s tree beholder is done by the courteous Mason Bricklebaum! We have him now live as we speak-- Hello, Mr. Bricklebaum?”

 The audio then switched into a static-like call from your short friend. “Yea, hello? Hey! It’s just me, how y’all doing, happy holidays!”

 The newscasters laugh, also being infected with his beaming positivity. “Hello, Mr. Bricklebaum, happy holidays to you too! What’s the status of our tree there?”

“Well uh, it sure is big! But it’s the right size for every ornament in Whoville! I made mine a dragon this year!”

 “Oh, a man of nonconformity! I like it!” a female newscaster admired.

 You couldn’t help but to feel that there was some sort of irony behind it.

 “Yea, I just thought that I should shake things up a little! But anyways I’ll probably be there in about 15-25 minutes, so watch for me! You just might miss it.”

 Bricklebaum was so naturally charismatic, even if his personality was a little bit corny. The newscasters let out a few sweet chuckles before letting him go, “Yea, I’m sure that we’ll see you no matter what. Alright, we’ll let you get back to your piloting. And thank you again for dedication your time to help make more history in Whoville!”

 “Alright then, I’ll see you all soon!”

 Despite being cynical the whole time, you were still genuinely interested in going there and seeing the grand event. Maybe you could go there with Bricklebaum so you won’t be lonely. Speaking of Bricklebaum, he's supposed to be at your house at 10. He doesn’t know yet, but you plan you pull of your surprise for him then.

 Now being wide awake from you own “surprise” earlier, you took the opportunity to get ready for yourself.

 

\-----

 

It was time. When the doorbell rang, you frisked towards it to keep him from waiting in the cold.

 “Good afternoon, (Y/N)!” Brickleberry chimed in his deep voice.

 “Hi, Bricklebaum! How are you?”

 “I’m good, good, just delivered a tree! Did you hear about it?” He asked, inviting himself into your home. Even when he was holding a dragon that was the same size as him, he cautiously wiped his boots on your doormat.

 “Yeah I did, from the radio.” the memory of the fear seeing the gigantic tree above your house flashed in your mind for a quick second. You then took the dragon out of his hands and he gave a quick thank you.

“Can you take off your shoes too? This is a shoe-free-zone.”

“Oh! Of course!”

As he pulled off his boots, he noticed that you were admiring his dragon ornament.

 “Yeah, I made that myself! He even breathes fire too, you see?”

 “Yeah, I do.” You said, flipping the orange dragon over to see paper flames connected to its mouth.

 Bricklebaum politely arranged his boots over the mat and walked a few inches away, making him officially inside the house.

 “Also,” You began, placing the dragon on an opening chair, “I have a surprise for you.”

 “A surprise?”

 “Yeah, guess.” You lured as you went your way to the kitchen.

 Bricklebaum followed, watching you pull out ingredients from the refrigerator one by one.

 “Ooh, ok! Um…  it looks like these are breakfast items. Are you gonna make breakfast for lunch?”

 “Yes! Close…” You hinted. You felt your grin forming as you watched him tinker more with the clues.

 Oh forget it, you couldn’t hide it anymore.

 “We’re gonna reenact your breakfast memory with your mom!”

 Bricklebaum gasped dramatically. “Aww really!? That’s the SWEETEST thing someone has ever done for me!” He practically sang, bringing you into a bear hug. You were pretty sure that he was over exaggerating, but it still was sweet of him for being extremely grateful. For someone who was shorter than you he felt like he was engulfing your entire body.

 It was a nice few seconds of joy before he immediately let you go. “Now, let me show you how my mama really did it!” He rolled off his sleeves to start his demonstration. You stood next to him, preparing yourself to follow any instructions that would be given.

 

\-----

 

For a mother’s recipe, it contained way more ingredients than you thought. You weren’t able to supply most of those, but Bricklebaum was sweet enough to run back to his house to complete those missing pieces. He masterfully cooked everything at the same time, filling your whole house with the nostalgic aromas that he grew up in.

 All of the eggs, bacon, and porridge that you bought ended up being cooked, having to save the extra in containers. Needless to say, you both were stuffed.

 Bricklebaum rubbed his belly in satisfaction. “Man, mama would be so proud!”  
  
You were also resting too, taking big sighs every once in a while as if it’ll stretch your stomach. “That was so good, Bricklebaum,” You chirped in a half-baked daze, “Have you ever thought of being a chef?”

“Oh of course! Because of my mama, I branched out to other foods. She gave me a real appreciation for it.” He looked up to the ceiling to reminisce everything within a second. “But I just do catering part-time. I don’t want the thing I love to get old.”  
  
Those were some words of wisdom. You remember a moment in your life when you loved ice skating so much that you wanted to do it competitively. You had to stop because training took too much effort and time for you to handle. It disappointed your dad a little since it technically was a waste of money. Oh well.

 “Do you have anything that you like to do?”

 “A few things, I guess. I did ice skate alot when I was younger.”

 “Oh, do you still do it?”

 “Yeah I do, just not all the time since my life got more busy along the way.” You rubbed your full belly, feeling lethargic with every heavy sigh. “I’m sure that there’s an ice skating rink around here, right?"  
  
“Of course!” Bricklebaum agreed, “What’s a winterland without an ice rink?”  
  
You let out a contempt chuckle and closed your eyes for a while, absorbing a few seconds of sleep.

 “So what are you gonna do with your Dragon?” You recalled, lazily looking at the ornament who was politely sitting on its chair.

Bricklebaum’s eyes widened. He quickly sat up to look at the round clock on a wall.  “ Oh Darn it! we need to get this Dragon to the tree!! The line must be really long now!!”

 You tried to catch up with his emotions but were only lagging a few seconds behind. You rigidly sat up straight, trying not to force your body from doing any sudden movement. How was he able to regain all of this energy?

 He was about to pull you out of your chair until you warned him with waves from your hands.

 “Woah, wait- I’m really full. I can’t move, AT ALL.”

 Bricklebaum took a step back and briskly waved in understanding.

“Yea! No problem, That’s fine. Wanna take the Snowmobile?”

“You have a snowmobile?” Wait, you still shouldn’t go. Any kind of jarring motion probably won’t cooperate well with your stomach.

 “Who doesn’t have one here? I’ll go slow too, of course.”

 “I can’t, sorry… I don’t wanna take any chances that I might... you know.”

 Bricklemaum gave a sympathetic nod and hopped his way out with his dragon.

“Alright, well I’ll see you there! Look for me in one of the lines to find me, Bye now!”

 

\-----

 

In almost two hours, you found Bricklebaum in the midst of the countless lines that were covering the streets. You then stood with him patiently; It was nearly sundown and half the town was still out. Luckily, it seemed to be going at a walking pace with little waiting. You looked long at the colossal Christmas tree as everyone else’s ornaments were being raised into their own spot on it. Looking back at Bricklebaum, who was tingling in excitement.

 “Are you ok?” you asked, bending your neck slightly to meet his level.

Bricklebaum let out a quick sigh in frustration. “I should’ve brought it with me while I was dropping off the tree!” He hastily glanced at the sun, now stretching the sky with a thick, beautiful orange. The scene signaled all the streetlights to turn on.

"Ohh, I can’t wait anymore!”  
  
Bricklebaum ran out of line with his dragon and bounced past everyone. Not wanting to be alone, you reluctantly follow him whispering “sorry” for every person you had to cut, deciding that you would rather follow him and get shot with judgemental eyes.

 “Out of the way, I made a dragon!” He shouted, making the Whos step out of his way in confusion.

 You focused solely on Bricklebaum, not looking back in fear that people will remember your face. But still, you couldn’t help but to feel a little bit of a thrill.

 

\-----

 

For the remainder after, you and Bricklebaum walked through the vending stands and enjoyed the smaller festivities. It was a shame that you had to stuff yourself, otherwise you would be eating and drinking the seasonal treats that were being sold.

Then it was time for the ceremony. Mayor McGerkle voice boomed from the speakers, signaling all of the Whos to congregate in front of the stage.

 After the 5 minute long speech full of thanking all Whos who directed and helped make this a possibility. “...And thank you, all of my citizens for being here to see this dream come true! Now, enough waiting… It’s time to start the countdown!”

 Everyone counted down from 10. 9,8,7,6…. A smile crept with every number from the anticipation.  3, 2, 1…. Your eyes glittered as the lights bursted in the night sky. There was no way that Bricklebaum’s house could ever prepare you. To see better, you slightly squinted to see each individual ornament in the tree. The moment was soaking in jolly band music, the Whos were laughing and cheering with each other, hugging and kissing. The scene almost moved you to tears from how emotionally beautiful it was.

 “Look!” Bricklebaum pointed at his own ornament, which was falling stories high. “My dragon can fly!”

 You laughed at his optimism, “I guess he can!”

 

\-----

 

Barely 5 minutes later, you saw another “christmas miracle.”

In the midst of the jolly bright atmosphere, you saw the Grinch. You grinned skeptically, wondering about his real motive.  
  
‘Looks like he finally decided to enjoy his life.’ Was the first thing that came into your mind.  
  
The longer you watched, you realized that there was something off-putting. His eyes were wider than you’ve ever seen happen, he was grabbing his hands desperately close to his chest. Your shit-eating grin melted. He looked like he was having a breakdown.

 ‘Should I do something?’

 You felt yourself hesitantly gravitate closer to him. He still hasn’t seen you yet.

 Your heart pumped forcefully through your chest, making you wonder if it was your place to do so. Grinch was slowly being drowned in the overstimulation of Whos and lights. You had to do something.  

 You brought your hand on his shoulder, hoping to catch his attention. “Are you ok?”

 He immediately flinched and turned his head, still caught in the moment. He slapped your hand away, immediately recognizing you. Of all the Whos that were around, it had to be you.  
  
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” He shouted, catching the attention of a few Whos who were nearby.  
  
He dryly swallowed, eyes shifting at him. He turned around to disappear, not wanting to look back.

You stood there looking at where he was last seen, not knowing what to do. You might’ve just made something worse.

 


End file.
